KOUNTZE, Texas, May 8, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In response to today's decision by the Beaumont Court of Appeals in Kountze ISD v. Matthews, Kelly Shackelford, President and CEO of Liberty Institute issues the following statement:

"The district court and our state's leading lawyers and officials, such as Attorney General Abbott, former Attorney General John Cornyn, former Solicitor General Ted Cruz and former Solicitor General Jim Ho, all agree that the school district violated the cheerleaders' constitutional freedoms and religious liberties, and granted them relief for that reason. The Court of Appeals did not disagree with any of that. While we are grateful we have won on behalf of these cheerleaders and their right to quote the Bible in their school district, why shouldn't future cheerleaders in Kountze and other school districts receive the same protection?"

Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America — in our schools, for our churches and throughout the public arena. Liberty's vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of our Founding Fathers. For information, visit www.LibertyInstitute.org.